inbound

What happens when you cross a lift truck with a robot? You get some pretty creative vehicles that operate autonomously—which allows operators to spend less time driving and more time picking orders. Here are some examples worthy of a science fiction novel:

▪ Kollmorgen’s Pick-n-Go system enables lift trucks to tag along with an order picker. Users install a “vehicle automation kit” on a truck of any make and then connect the vehicle to a WMS and a voice picking solution. When a picker confirms that an item has been picked, the driverless truck moves on to the next order-line location and the picker follows. When the pallet is almost full, the WMS sends a new forklift with an empty pallet to the picker; meanwhile, the truck with the full pallet returns unaccompanied to the loading area.

▪ Egemin Automation’s Hybrid Automated Guided Vehicle lets users operate a standard forklift either in manual mode or as an AGV. At any time, a driver can interrupt the automatic operations, take over the controls, and then return the truck to fully automatic laser-guided mode as needed. Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America Inc. (MCFA) is the primary supplier of components for the system.

▪ Laser Trucks+ applies Dematic’s wireless RF or voice picking software and AGV guidance technology to a Crown PC 4500 Series rider pallet truck. Once a worker confirms a pick, the pallet truck moves to the next location simultaneously with the picker. Activities like retrieving a new pallet, driving a pallet mover in the pick aisle, and transporting a completed pallet to shipping can be completely automated.

▪ With Crown Equipment Corp.’s QuickPick Remote Advance System, a picker can move a pallet truck forward without having to return to the operator’s compartment. To advance the truck to the next pick slot, the driver presses a button on a wireless transceiver-equipped glove or a trigger worn across two fingers. The trucks have obstacle-detection and steering-correction systems to prevent collisions. The technology is currently available for the Crown PC 4500 Series rider pallet truck.

Leave the driving to us …
Good data gets its
own award

PHOTO COURTESY OF KOLLMORGEN

It used to be that a truck driver was just that—a truck driver. But these days, some are doing more than just piloting big rigs and picking up or delivering loads. They’re also collecting data, checking credentials, and even conducting inspections for quality control.

The trend is being driven by customers’ demands for more data about their shipments, said Clay Holmes, chief information officer for Cardinal Logistics, at eyefortransport’s 13th Annual Logistics CIO Forum in Chicago. As for what kinds of requests customers are making of their truckers and 3PLs, these vary by industry, he said. For instance, pharmaceutical companies want drivers to not only get proof-of-delivery signatures, but also obtain the consignees’ credentials. When hauling recycled material, drivers have been asked to record the number of bales they pick up and note the fiber content. And for produce deliveries, some customers want the driver to collect three temperature readings—from the top, middle, and bottom layers—for each pallet as it is unloaded.

Driver wanted: QC, IT experience a plus

Hardly a day goes by when we don’t receive an announcement about a shipper that has recognized a carrier or logistics service provider for on-time delivery, cost savings, and the like. But it’s not every day that we hear about a service provider honoring a shipper.

In early April, the Army Materiel Command’s Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command honored 16 government shippers with Shipper Performance Awards for consistently submitting on-time and error-free data for shipments moved within the Defense Transportation System (DTS) last year. The recipients are government and vendor offices or organizations that book and move cargo through DTS.

The awards may be unique, but it makes good sense for the U.S. military to recognize shippers for the quality of the data they submit with their consignments, says DCV contributing editor and defense logistics expert Steve Geary, who brought the awards to our attention. “In order to make shipments flow seamlessly, we need clean data,” he points out.

Awards were presented in categories for small, medium, large, and “super large” shippers and shippers of merit. Winners included various organizations and divisions within the Army & Air Force Exchange Service, the military postal service, the Defense Logistics Agency, the Defense Contract Management Agency, and the General Services Administration.